Covered in an article by Science Daily, a professor at UT Dallas has conducted research revealing the differences between autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia, hopefully finding better treatments and ending misdiagnoses in the future.

Dr. Noah Sasson studied the small differences at a young age between these two diseases, despite their many similarities. As children, many people mixed up ASD with schizophrenia because of the same social discrepancies but now there is a way to tell which is which. ASD, for example, can be caught early in life while schizophrenia manifests as a young adult.

Their main similarity, social interaction, is the culprit in misdiagnosing, but there are differences in that as well. Individuals with ASD do not accommodate themselves to social information, while schizophrenics do. Both diseases involve paranoia, but the main cause of the paranoia is different for each. “Because the two disorders are different in so many ways, it is likely that the basis for their social impairments differs as well,” he said. “Understanding these differences will be key for developing effective treatments. What works well for individuals with ASD might be very different than those with schizophrenia.”

By distinguishing the differences between autism and schizophrenia, it could forever change how these people can interact in society.

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Mental Illnesses by ACIdesigns